1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to virtual content placement in videos, and in particular to offline virtual content placement.
2. Description of Related Art
Virtual content placement is a video technique, used primarily in advertising, for altering video images by adding images, messages, slogans or indicia in such a manner that they appear to be part of the original image as displayed. To appear realistic, virtual content placement must precisely take into account changes in the position, size and perspective of background articles due to changing position and zoom of the camera that takes or took the original video. If the original video is taken purposely for supporting virtual content placement, the originally photographed scene may include special visually-identifiable areas or marks for facilitating the content placement. In other instances, visually-identifiable areas or objects that happen to exist in the photographed scene are exploited for the content placement process. There are two basic scenarios for virtual content placement: real-time and offline. In real-time virtual content placement, typically during a live broadcast of a sports event, there is a preparatory phase that determines visually-identifiable areas and points, which will be used for enclosing the product placement areas and for recognizing the dynamically-changing magnification and perspective. Generally speaking, real-time virtual content placement benefits from, and may be dependent on, having a visually-identifiable static arena, such as a tennis court. In the offline case, the background may change from one scene to another; therefore, existing videos are analyzed, segment by segment, to determine segments that their duration, visual characteristics and story are adequate for product placement; then, automated tools based on image processing techniques and supported by manual assistance of an experience human operator, are employed for segment selection and content placement. Such manual procedures offer high quality in matching and adjusting the placed content to the original segment, but are relatively costly because of the associated human labor.
The cost of virtual content placement is usually covered by advertisers. In videos that are distributed to a very large number of viewers, whether as a real-time broadcast of a sports event, a broadcast movie or an on-demand video, advertisers can afford the costs of virtual content placement. However, when video content reaches a relatively small number of viewers, virtual content placement becomes economically unfeasible.
The public data networks (for example, Internet and mobile) have introduced an entirely new realm for the distribution of videos. Now, many amateur photographers shoot videos and share them via commercial and non-commercial channels; many professional video producers use the Internet for distributing and merchandising new and archived content; and more and more video content is viewed via cellular telephones. Often, such content represents an opportunity for advertisers. However, offline virtual content placement is typically too costly in such cases because the number of viewers may be too small or unpredictable.
Cost distribution among advertisers and over time is applied in some low-cost advertising techniques, such as banners, text ads, pre/post roles and in-stream, which easily enable displaying a changing advertising content that is independent of the video content. The associated cost distribution affords advertising even when addressing relatively small audiences, because of both the ease of changing the advertised messages and the overall low production costs; however, such advertising methods are generally disliked by viewers. Offline virtual content placement could offer a much more attractive solution for both advertisers and viewers, but, unfortunately, present content placement techniques adapt specific advertising content to specific video segments and do not support cost distribution among advertisers or in advertising that changes over time.
If cost distribution for content placement becomes possible, also non-advertising applications can afford offline virtual content placement; for example, amateur or professional video photographers could to use virtual content placement as a special effect for their videos, for adding artistic or fun impact.
There is therefore a need for, and it could be advantageous to have, systems and functionalities for offline virtual content placement that supports cost distribution among multiple advertisers and/or advertising content that changes over time.